What does a Parts Salesperson do?

Sell spare and replacement parts and equipment in repair shop or parts store. Day to day that includes work like receive payment or obtain credit authorization and Assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back-ordered parts.

What skills should a Parts Salesperson put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Persuasion, Reading Comprehension, and Service Orientation among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Parts Salesperson list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Customer information databases, Inventory control system software, Inventory management systems, and Inventory tracking software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Parts Salesperson work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Parts Consultant, Parts Counterperson, Parts Salesman, and Parts Advisor. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Parts Salesperson need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 47% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Parts Salesperson role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Parts Salesperson resume example

A resume for a Parts Salesperson needs to show the work itself: sell spare and replacement parts and equipment in repair shop or parts store. Day to day that means work like this: receive payment or obtain credit authorization; assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back-ordered parts. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Parts Consultant
Parts Counterperson
Parts Salesman
Parts Advisor
Parts Counter Salesperson
Parts Counterman
Parts Person
Parts Specialist
Wholesale Parts Salesperson
Auto Parts Clerk
Auto Parts Counter Associate
Auto Parts Counter Person
Auto Parts Counterperson
Auto Parts Handler
Auto Parts Salesperson
Auto Parts Specialist
Parts Counter Rep
Parts Rep

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Receive payment or obtain credit authorization.
Assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back-ordered parts.
Fill customer orders from stock, and place orders when requested items are out of stock.
Receive and fill telephone orders for parts.
Locate and label parts, and maintain inventory of stock.
Prepare sales slips or sales contracts.
Read catalogs, microfiche viewers, or computer displays to determine replacement part stock numbers and prices.
Determine replacement parts required, according to inspections of old parts, customer requests, or customers' descriptions of malfunctions.
Examine returned parts for defects, and exchange defective parts or refund money.
Manage shipments by researching shipping methods or costs and tracking packages.
Mark and store parts in stockrooms, according to prearranged systems.
Maintain and clean work and inventory areas.

19 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Receive payment or obtain credit authorization, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back-ordered parts, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Fill customer orders from stock, and place orders when requested items are out of stock, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Receive and fill telephone orders for parts, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Adobe Acrobat
Customer information databases
Inventory control system software
Inventory management systems
Inventory tracking software
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Word
SAP software
SmugMug Flickr
Web browser software

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Computer laser printers
Digital still cameras
Electronic cash registers
Laptop computers
Microfiche viewing equipment
Multiline telephone systems
Personal computers
Tablet computers
Warehouse forklifts

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Inventory control system
Inventory management systems

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Active Listening
02Speaking
03Persuasion
04Reading Comprehension
05Service Orientation
06Social Perceptiveness
07Critical Thinking
08Monitoring
09Judgment and Decision Making
10Time Management

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Customer and Personal Service
Sales and Marketing
Administration and Management
Administrative
Computers and Electronics
English Language
Economics and Accounting
Production and Processing

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

47%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
25%Some College Courses
14%Bachelor's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Some Preparation Needed”. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Common questions

What does a Parts Salesperson do?: Sell spare and replacement parts and equipment in repair shop or parts store. Day to day that includes work like receive payment or obtain credit authorization and Assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back-ordered parts.
What skills should a Parts Salesperson put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Persuasion, Reading Comprehension, and Service Orientation among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Parts Salesperson list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Customer information databases, Inventory control system software, Inventory management systems, and Inventory tracking software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Parts Salesperson work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Parts Consultant, Parts Counterperson, Parts Salesman, and Parts Advisor. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Parts Salesperson need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 47% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Parts Salesperson role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.